On sale: The designer bargains Brussels banned

August 7th, 1998

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Two supermarket giants yesterday defied a European ban by selling designer goods at up to 50 per cent less than normal … The two chains have side stepped the embargo by buying the goods indirectly from ‘grey market’ suppliers in America or Eastern Europe, a practice declared illegal by the European Court of Justice last month.
(Daily Mail, 7 August 1998, p33)

The ruling, made by the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which is in fact in Luxembourg and not Brussels, simply confirmed the national interpretation of an EU trademarks Directive by almost all the EU Member States including the UK. The activity, ruled against in the case, is incompatible with the UK Trade Mark Act of 1994 and UK government lawyers agree with the ECJ’s decision.

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EC in the UK

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